Managing Surveys
If you have not yet created a survey, you can choose "Add New Survey" to create a new survey.
See details below on creating surveys.
If you've already created a survey, you will have several management options:
- View Results: View survey results in a webpage. You can usually cut and paste this into other documents if desired.
- Get CSV: Get the survey results as a Comma-Separated-Values (CSV) file. You should be prompted to download the file.
CSV files can be opened by many programs, including MS-Excel.
- View Takers: Get a list of who has taken the survey. If the survey was not administered anonymously
these names will also be in the survey results. This listed is sorted to preserve anonymity.
- Active/DeActivated: This survey's current status. If the survey is Active, takers will be be able
to access and fill out the survey. If the survey is DeActivated, the takers will not be able to access
the survey. When a survey is first created or modified, it is DeActivated by default. You must Activate
the survey to make it available to be taken. DeActivating a survey does not delete the survey or results.
- Public/Private: If the survey is marked Private, it can only be accessed by providing the survey's ID number
at the main survey listing page (survey.php), or through the link provided when the survey was created. If the
survey is marked Public, it will be listed on the main survey listing page (survey.php) for all to see and access.
- Change Auth Admins: If you are working on the survey with other Administrators, you can authorize them
to modify a survey and view the results. Note that any authorized admins can also delete the survey.
- Modify: Change the design of a survey. Important Note: Modifying a survey will delete any previously recorded responses
to the survey.
- Copy: Copies the survey. This does not affect the source survey, and is a good way to modify an
existing survey to create a new one without having to delete responses to the original survey.
- Delete: Delete the survey and the associated results.
Creating Surveys
The Survey Builder is designed to allow you to get some idea what your survey will look like
once it's implemented.
Survey Structure
Surveys are structured in Blocks. Each Block contains a text header and a set of
rating or free-response questions. Each Question has a text area for the question.
The survey can be controlled for question order by randomizing the presentation of Blocks, by
randomizing the presentation of Questions within a Block, or both.
Using the Survey Builder
Typing Text
The text typed as the Block prompt or Question text will be displayed as HTML. Linebreaks (when
you hit enter) are automatically converted to HTML linebreaks. You can use valid HTML tags in the input
areas to provide more formatting. For example, <B>text</B> would render as: text.
Use the "I want to:" pull down to add Blocks or Questions.
Adding Blocks
When you add a Block, you will be asked to enter the Block prompt, then click "Add Block".
The prompt can be changed after adding. When the block is displayed you will see a pull-down menu to the left of the
prompt. This pull-down lets you re-order the Blocks in the page, Copy the block, and Delete the block. You will also find
a checkbox the right of the prompt, which allows you to Randomize the order in which questions inside the Block are
presented.
Adding Rating Question
When you add a Rating Question, you will be asked to provide the Question test. Then choose
the number of Scale divisions in your rating scale (5 for a 1-5 scale, etc). You then can provide labels for each of the
scale positions. For example, in a 2-division scale, you could set the labels to "Yes/No" or "True/False". You do not have
to provide a label for every scale position. For example, you could set Scale 1 to "Very Much" and Scale 5 to "Not at all".
Before clicking "Add Question", make sure the "to block" pulldown is set for the Block you want to add the question to.
Adding Multiple-Choice Question
Multiple-Choice questions are almost the same as Rating Questions, except that with multiple-choice questions,
the Choice Label is recorded as the result rather than the Scale number.
Adding Free-Response Question
When you add a Free-Response Question, you will be asked to provide the Question test.
Then choose how many characters wide and how many lines of space you want to provide for a reply. Usually 50 characters is
about the widest you'd want to make a response.
Before clicking "Add Question", make sure the "to block" pulldown is set for the Block you want to add the question to.
Modifying Questions
Above each question is a pull-down menu that you can use to re-order questions within a block,
or to delete the question. Clicking the Modify button will allow you to change question options such as rating scales or
input size. You can change the question text by just editing the text shown
Example Survey Design
A survey design calls for the taker to read a scenario and rate it for difficulty and enjoyment.
- Enter a survey name: "Reading Difficulty and Enjoyment"
- Enter instructions: "Please answer all questions"
- To present the scenarios in random order, click "Randomize presentation order of blocks"
- Add a new Block (click "Set Up")
- Type in the first scenario and Add the Block
- If desired, click the
- Add a rating Question (select "Add Rating Question" from pull-down)
- For the question, type "Rate this passage for reading difficulty"
- Choose 5 Scale divisions
- For Scale 1 label, type "Very difficult"
- For Scale 3 label, type "Moderate"
- For Scale 5 label, type "Easy"
- Click "Add Question"
- Add another rating Question
- For the question, type "Rate this passage for enjoyment"
- Note that the scale choices you made for the previous question are displayed again.
Change "Difficult" to "Enjoyable" and "Easy" to "Not Enjoyable"
- Click "Add Question"
- In the pulldown to the left of the scenario description (the non-indented pull-down), choose "Copy"
- Change the scenario text in the second Block
- Repeat this process to complete the Survey. When finished, click "Submit Survey"
If you'd like, see what this looks like to takers
Administration
Administrator Types
There are three types of administrators:
- Basic: Can create surveys and view results for their own surveys.
- Supervisor: All rights of a Basic administrator, and can create and delete new Basic administrators.
- Master: All rights of a Basic administrator, and can create and delete administrators of all levels including ones they did not create.
Managing Administrators
Basic admins will not have these options. Depending upon your rights, the following options may be available:
- Change Rights (Master level): Change another administrator's rights.
- Reset Password to "admin": Change the administrator's password to "admin". Useful if an admin forgets their password.
- Delete: Deletes an administrator.
- Add new Admin: Adds a new administrator. If you have Master level rights, you will be able to choose the new admin's rights level.